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One day in February 2004 I happened to do a search on the website for the local Thrifty Nickel publication and found an ad for a:
History on the Dart is a little shaky depending on who you talk to. The seller was the father of the last 'long-term' owner. The 'son' bought the car in '79 from who-knows-who right out of highschool. He raced it a little bit, took it out to college for a year...etc - basically used it as a every-day car. Seems there were some small fender benders that necessitated a cheap Macco style paint-job circa the early 1980's, along with a 360 out of a truck to replace the original 273 v8. The interior was kept in remarkable shape, looks like new carpet but mostly original vinyl/headliner/dash. For some reason in the 80's the car was put into storage. It spent most of the next decade in and out of various family garages, through a few marriages and kids. Eventually the owner decided to get rid of the car for financial reasons and it was purchased by his father - who eventually sold it to me.
I bought the car later that week (keep in mind my son was about 10 days old... gotta love an understanding wife!) and it's been my daily driver ever since. I'm learning new things about the Dart every time I drive it. Originally the car had a 273 v8 with a 904 3-speed automatic. The 8 3/4 rear end probably housed 3.23 or 3.55 gears in it. Now the car has a 360 v8 and the rear has been changed out to 3.91 gears with a sure-grip. The interior is still in excellent condition given the car's age and probably in no small part thanks to the storage time the car has seen over the last 20 years - I hope to keep it that way. There are a few squeaks and whistles while driving that I'll sort out someday. The storage has been kind to the paint and with a little wash and wax it looks really good!
Oh, right - the preious owner (the son, not the dad) added an interesting mural to the rear trunklid of the car sometime years ago - presumably in reference to the Chevy Camaro Z28...
Completed modifications:
-B&M Megashifter
-Autometer Tach
-Mini Starter
-Transmission rebuild (904TF)
-TransGO TF2 shift kit
-KYB Shocks
-YearOne replacement engine/headlamp wiring harness - no electrical fires for me :)
-Fiberglass hood with a '6-pack' scoop from AAR Fiberglass
-Rebuilt 360
-Updated Ignition System - combination of Mallory and MSD parts.
Future Plans:
-I've acquired a Nitrous system by NOS that should be fun to play with...hehehehe.
-I've got 90% of the parts needed to change the brake system from 4 wheel drum breaks to 4 wheel disk breaks while at the same time upgrading to the larger style wheel bolt pattern - this will increase the available wheel styles, and bump me up to 15" rims.
-Suspension Rebuild
-DYNO SESSION!!!
